Halftime: Sonics 60, Trail Blazers 56

The second quarter seems to be the Sonics quarter as they once again figured out an opponent and shut them down with strong defense. Seattle outscored Portland 36-25 in the quarter and held LaMarcus Aldridge to two points after he tallied 13 in the first period.

Gelabale, who appeared to play himself out of the rotation, is the surprise. He is playing solid defense and slashing to the basket, using his athleticism. Gelabale has a lot riding on this season. This is the final year on his contract at $800,000 and a standout year could help him cash in on a new contract next summer.

Robert Swift logged 15 minutes and scored six points with five rebounds and no fouls and no Sonics has more than two fouls, a byproduct of the zone defense.

Portland’s Travis Outlaw, one of those players that doesn’t come to mind when you think of the Blazers’ depth, added 11 off the bench for the Blazers while former Seattle Prep star Martell Webster has nine points and two steals.